Save the Realm
by Violentkitsune
Summary: On her 23rd birthday, Rukia Kuchiki encounters a life-changing event, and learns the truth about her heritage. Now she must play her part in a war that she never knew existed, and get along with allies that she never knew she had. AU. Ichiruki, ByaxHisana.
1. Chapter 1

Rukia Kuchiki clutched the soft plush toy to her chest with all her might, pushing her pale pink lips into a pout. Big, bold violet eyes grew wide and teared up beneath black strands.

Renji twitched. "Rukia . . ."

She snuggled the giant rabbit even more and trembled even more. A single tear escaped from her eye.

"Oh sweet Kami . . . FINE!"

Renji watched his best friend snap expressions within an instant. Her child-like puppy-dog face had snapped to a victorious smirk within seconds. She dropped the rabbit onto the counter and watched with beady eyes as renji forked the money out of his wallet. Renji looked down at his best-friend in all her five-foot-two glory, feeling embarrassed by her childlike manner.

"Most women your age would prefer something far more mature than children's merchandise for their twenty-third birthday. No bag thanks."

The checkout assistant handed over the bunny to Rukia, who bounded throughout the store, ignoring the strange glances she received from the older customers.

"I already have everything i could possibly need, Renji. I've visited over a million concerts and i have far too many clothes for my own taste buds. I'd rather just get something for me for once, not something that i'll be putting on display for others."

The pair bounded out through the carpark over to Rukia's car. It was a beautiful Black 1967 Ford Mustang fastback, a classic beauty refurbished and restored to its former glory. As Renji's bright maroon red hair disappeared into the car, Rukia quickly did a once-over of her appearance. She was dressed casually, sporting a baggy emerald sweater, black leggings and worn red vans. She swung her petite body into the car, pushing the toy in between the front seats and turning the key in the ignition. Rukia loved the sound of the engine purring to life, snarling like a panther in mid-chase of its prey. renji barely had time to strap himself in before she took off out of the car park. Rukia heard Renji silently offer up a prayer of hope to whichever god was watching that the 'speed demon' wouldn't kill him.

"Who's coming over tonight?" he asked, clenching his fist. He cringed as Rukia overtook a car, barely a millimeters gap between them and the station wagon.

"The Shiba's, Ukitake-sensei, Byakuya's associate Kyoraku, and maybe Yoruichi-sama if she can. Not expecting it to be very big tonight."

Rukia pushed onto the brake as they went around a sharp corner, with renji knocking his head onto the window. In that same moment she pressed the accelerator and rushed up a barren road.

"Baka! Next time slow down or you'll kill us!" Renji moaned.

"Oh keep your pants on pineapple," Rukia teased, urging the car around the twists and turns in the road. "I'm a professional."

Up ahead Rukia pulled off onto a long driveway that lead to an amazing two-storey house. Rukia thought that if this house had a gender, it would definitely be male. It was all sharp angles and had a minimalist colour scheme of charcoal greys, warm browns, and off-whites. Windows were placed all around in an effort to absorb the sunlight that shone throughout the day. The driveway curled around a central sakura tree, passing the footpath leading up to the door of the house. Everything was orderly, the gardens kept immaculate and under control. Several cars were parked up in various spots.

Rukia parked her car in front of a Jeep, letting the engine die. The minute the car had died, Renji hurtled himself out of the car, falling spread-eagle on the concrete. "Oh sweet Kami, thank you, thank you, thank you . . ."

Rukia merely laughed as she carried out her prize, stepping over Renji's body and walking straight to the door. Just as she was about to open it, it swung back.

"Happy birthday brat!" Kukaku shouted, squishing Rukia into her arms. Long ash black hair was pulled to the side, revealing a black butterfly tattooed along her collarbone. The red singlet she wore brought out the fierce green-blue eyes, while tight-fitting jeans emphasized the long legs that Rukia envied. "You're just in time to watch Kaien get the smack-down from your sister. He made a bet he could tap her three times in a round."

"My money's on Kaien," Renji said, following the girls through the house.

Rukia smirked. "As much as i adore that boy, your brother won't survive Kukaku. Hisana will have him decimated."

"Shame how true that is," Kukaku agreed.

They passed through the lounge, bejewelled with blue and green balloons. Purple and silver streamers draped themselves across the roof like spiders-silk. Outside the deck accommodated an outdoor furniture seat, complete with a swing-seat, several rattan seats of various lengths and sizes, and a black coffee table. The furniture had been abandoned as its occupants gathered at the edge in favour of watching the match.

Rukia sidled up to her brother-in-law Byakuya, who starred meticulously at Kaien and Hisana. The pair were sparring on the grey marble slabs that fitted together to form the courtyard.

"How much time left?" Rukia asked.

"One minute."

She shook her head and pitied Kaien for even daring to take on Hisana. The pair were dueling with swords, and Kaien was trying his best slash his bokku at Hisana's ribs. being only twenty years old, Kaien definitely had strength and energy on his side. he was determined to beat hisana, a senior of seventeen years. But she merely deflected his blows, a small smile playing on her lips as she blocked and countered. Bearing a few more inches of height, hisana's body was far more slender and allowed for more flexibility in her movements. Rukia knew Kaien had no chance, despite his youth. Hisana had been trained by several teachers in various styles of martial arts and weaponry, and even then she was known to have a mean kick.

Kaien feinted to the left and swung back his right hand, bringing down the bokken on Hisana's unprotected head. She flipped out of the way of the blow before racing back and kicking the sword out his fickle hands. He barely had time to register his loss before hisana moved passed and kneed him in the abdomen, sending him hurtling back onto the ground.

"Time," Byakuya called sternly. "Round goes to Hisana."

Kaien's baby brother Ganju groaned and leapt off the deck. Unlike his siblings leaner builds, he was more bulky for a seventeen year old, and sported a bit of stubble along his chin. His hair was held back by a black and white bandana.

"You made me lose ten bucks!" he yelled, choking his brother in a tight vise. He flexed his arms further. "You told me you had this in the bag!"

Kaien grunted and manouvered himself out of the chokehold. "Just shut up will ya? I didn't think Hisana would go all psycho-"

"No you didn't," Ganju continued, socking him in the guts.

Everyone watched in amusement as the brothers had their little scuffle. Rukia watched Hisana bound over to them, leaving the sword on the rack and enveloping her in a warm hug. Rukia adored the maternal feeling her sister gave off.

Hisana pulled back and held her by the shoulders. "Happy Birthday little girl," she cheered. From far away she looked like the epitome of youth. The only signs of age were the little crows feet that appeared when she was stressed out or angry. "My baby sister's twenty-three," she gushed, leaning fondly into Byakuya's arms. "I can't believe it."

"What i can't believe is that my brother was stupid enough to assume he could take you on," Kukaku shouted from her seat. "That stupid baka."

"Oh don't mind him," Hisana said mildly. "It was good exercise for me."

"Oh shut up stick figure," Kukaku teased.

A man with long white hair entered Rukia's vision and her heart swelled with familial love for him. Ukitake had been her tutor and Byakuya's business associate for several years. He was well over the age of fifty, but didn't look any older than forty, sporting obsidian eyes and a warm sincere smile.

"I believe congratulations are in order," he spoke.

Rukia rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Its not that big of a deal, you know. Its not like i'm thirty or what not."

Ukitake chuckled. "All the same."

The boys were still scuffling about on the ground, with the addition of renji joining the kerfuffle. A vein pulsed in Rukia's head as the insolent twerps continued their skirmish, going to extreme lengths as to bruise each other's faces.

"Excuse me," she said sweetly, kicking off her shoes and going down to the boys. She cracked her knuckles singularly and had an evil glint in her eye. "YAMERU!" she yelled. She kicked each of the boys apart onto their backs and swiftly stabbed each of them with her heel on their crown jewels. She wore an evil smile as she looked down on the howling boys. All three looked up in terror as Rukia bore down on them, holding one raised foot in the air menacingly.

"Now," Rukia started, "we're all going to be nice and sweet to one another, okay? There's not going to be any fighting at all for the rest of the night, right?" The boys nodded fervently, begging with all their might for her forgiveness. "Otherwise i'll be upset."

They nodded. "Gomen Rukia," the boys chorused.

Rukia smiled and left them alone, watching as they staggered back onto their feet.

"Let's eat then, shall we?" Ukitake volunteered.


	2. Chapter 2

Rukia was stuffed. All that food, settling down at the bottom of her stomach. She felt bloated as she settled on her bed, replaying the dinner scene. Her family and friends had contributed their all to making a mini-feast. Fettuccine, caesar salads, a pyramid of sushi, fruit kebabs to dip in a fountain of mouthwatering chocolate; fried pieces of chicken and barbeque sausages, fried prawns to dip in sweet and sour sauce; chocolate brownies and strawberry ice-cream. And of course, the _piece de resistance_ - a two layered red velvet cake with white chocolate icing, milk chocolate flakes, and strawberries.

Yoruichi Shihoin and Shunsui Kyoraku came in later on, bestowing their own congratulatory remarks and gifts, along with their own sake bottles. Yoruichi was a striking women with dark caramel skin and regency purple hair that tickled her waist. Kyoraku was far more flamboyant and easy-going, having a tall statuesque appearance, with brown hair tied back and slight stubble along his jaw. Rukia held them both in the highest regard and found them entertaining. Whenever Kyoraku wasn't pressuring Byakuya into drinking, he was reminiscing with Ukitake about their youth, urging Kukaku into an arm wrestle. When Yoruichi wasn't chatting to Rukia, she was teasing byakuya, making funny faces and regaling Hisana with embarrassing stories of old 'Bya-bya' during their youth. Her nii-sama had not taken kindly to that.

Rukia nestled into her bed, wearing her grey hoodie, navy mesh shorts, and black socks. Despite all the fun she had today she was glad for this moment of peace and quiet. Her room was nice and sophisticated. grey walls with sponged blue glitter paint. a neat bookshelf filled with classic literature, sketchbooks, manga, and albums. A wardrobe in one corner, and drawers beside it. A mahogany vanity that served as a pedestal for the shrine of her Chappy memorabilia.

Rukia pulled out a battered red leather-bound journal from behind her headboard, entitled 'dream journal'. She'd been given it by her brother-in-law for her seventh birthday. She had a certain knack for remembering the vivid details of her dreams and formed a habit of writing as much as she could into this journal. Skimming through the early entries, she chuckled about how random some of them were; Her and Renji battling as the power rangers, a boy with orange hair riding a pony while wearing a ridiculous hat on his head. the later entries lost their randomness and centred more around a certain place.

_A realm of light, _she'd written, _with islands floating in the air, and rivers flowing down into frosted clouds. Pillars ascended up into the starry-skies. Strange people inhabited this dream-world. A man with red skin, blue hair and flames bursting from his mouth; a woman wearing furry clothes with cat ears and a tail arguing with a girl in a kimono, heavy bells dangling at the ends of her sash._

All of her dreams were mostly about this place. And she couldn't help but find it disturbing. Most people had different dreams, never experiencing the same thing more than once. She even asked renji if he ever had the same dreams over and over again, and he was assertive that everything was different unless he thought real hard about what he wanted to dream. None of that applied to Rukia. She flicked through some of the recent entries.

_Hisana and the lightning man were talking again. They stood on two stone pillars at the edge of a thriving city full of wandering figures._

_The man had his lightning blue hair pulled into a half-up top not, wearing laminar armour and spaulders engraved with wolves. The rest of his hair trailed halfway down his back._

_Hisana spoke to the man about 'the inevitable war that would come', and inquired about how soon his twin would begin training the 'other descendant'. The pale gold-eyed man muttered that she will begin soon, and prayed that 'she fares better than her predecessors'. The sky rumbled, shifting from violet sunset to midnight blue storm. Flashes of silver and gold danced in the air as Hisana bowed down to the man._

Rukia shut the book. It was frustrating for her to dream these things. And she didn't want to confront hisana about her fears, lest she turns out to be wrong.

"Its just stupid dreams," Rukia mumbled.

"Knock-knock." Hisana waltzed into the bedroom, holding an elegant white long box wrapped in a blue gold ribbon.

"How are you feeling?" she asked genuinely.

Rukia shrugged. "How does anyone feel on their birthday?"

Hisana laughed, letting it ring through the air like clear crystal chimes. Rukia loved her so much, and aspired to be like her. She was strong, both physically and emotionally, knew what to do in every situation, and even had a man who worshipped her as queen, which is what she deserved in every right. She pushed the box over to Rukia.

"Byakuya knows how long you've set your sights on this," she said as she unwrapped the box. "Out of all the things in his collection, you were fascinated the most by this. And both of us believe that you might as well have, seeing as you've matured enough to know how to use it."

Nestled in purple satin, a pearl-white handled katana sat in the box. It was resting in it's purple scabbard with silver flowers and snowflakes etched into the case. A long white ribbon extended from the tip of the handle, nearly two metres in length, with a heavy gem at end and tassels flaring out. Rukia remembered when Byakuya had scolded her heavily for playing around with this. he'd stated that until she had matured enough, she would never set her eyes on it ever again. Since then, she'd been straining in all her activities, throwing herself in all forms of martial arts, making her way to the top in her academic learning, developing her skills as a swordsman in kendo, and maintaining her job as a dance tutor.

Her eyes glistened slightly at the sight of the sword. To others, it might just be some old relic that could be used for props in some play, but for her it was a sign of approval from her brother-in-law.

"Arigato nee-san," she said reverently. _I will not cry, I will not cry . . ._

"Oh Ru-ru," Hisana said lovingly, embracing her sister. "It was the least he could do."

Hisana stood up and left the room, placing the katana on her vanity. Rukia snuggled further into her blankets, thanking her lucky stars for the family that she had been born into.


	3. Chapter 3

Very little could surprise Byakuya.

He'd been raised from birth to be prepared for all manner of situations. His tutors and elders taught him to never let his emotions surface. lest the enemy uses them to manipulate you on the battlefield.

He knelt down outside on the deck, settled down on a tatami mat in _seiza_. An elegant sword sat in front of him, sheathed in an elegant scabbard engraved with Kuchiki crest near the top. It was no surprise when Kyoraku and Ukitake came to take their own seats beside him, kneeling down on either side.

"How long until they arrive?" Kyoraku asked, taking a swig out of his flask.

"Minutes i'm guessing," Ukitake said.

"Argh, it'll be hard for the girl to make the transition. She doesn't know what's gonna hit her."

Ukitake shook his head. "She'll make it. From what i've learnt from all these years is that Rukia is stubborn as hell, and won't back down from a challenge, no matter how weird or drastic. Besides, look at her sister. Look at her clan. They've been pressured and coerced throughout history, and all her ancestors were put to death. yet here we are, with the living descendants today. That ought to show those that target her bloodline that they are certainly favoured by fate."

Byakuya inhaled deeply, opening his eyes. The backyard was bathed in pale moonlight. "Rukia has risen to the challenge countless times in the past, proving time and time again that she can defeat whatever obstacle lies before. She has a wide range of skills to use, and many allies that shall come to her aid."

A breeze came over the three men, chilling them to the bone unexpectedly. Kyoraku looked up at the yard. "It appears that our guests have arrived already."

Byakuya nodded. He could sense the many pairs of eyes within the dark honing in on the the men. He kept his face blank, betraying no hints of any kind to the enemy. Shadows were pushed out from the darkness cast by the trees and building, advancing towards them.

"You want us to go in Kuchiki?" Kyoraku asked, stretching out his back.

Byakuya shook his head. "Hisana has been waiting all week."

One of the shadows split apart from the dark and spoke up in a rasp. "Finally decided to stop hiding out like a coward, eh Kuchiki? Honestly could you have picked an even more pathetic realm than the one you've been living in this past decade?"

The owner of the voice was a man, looking no older than thirty. Long greasy hair framed a pale face and reached his shoulders; a pure-white eyepatch covered the left socket. His smile was cruel and haughty, bearing sharp serrated teeth. The hunter had a tall gangly build adorned in a pale grey suite. The only thing out of place was the giant scythe he had in one-hand, a thick black chain dangling from the blade.

Byakuya merel stared at the intruders, taking note of every move. "Nnoitra Gilga, head hunter of Aizen's militia and self-proclaiming fool. They say you are the best when it comes to hunting down tricky criminals and targets. If you were truly the man it says you are on paper then you would have found me earlier, rather than wait for my sister to come of age."

Nnoitra snarled, brandishing the scythe in an arc. "Shut your trap you noble brat. We've merely let you wander about freely these years because priority wise, you're not worth. You're just insignificant pests that need to be extinguished. You're wife and sister on the other hand," he smirked as he looked up at the building behind byakuya, "well, we just needed to wait for the right time when those Shirayuki sluts were at their most vulnerable."

Byakuya's eyes narrowed to slits and he stood up, gripping the scabbard tightly in one hand. Nnoitra smirked and swung the chain around in the air. "I definitely hope you last long enough to hear their cries. It will be a beautiful thing to see; the noble Kuchiki, helpless to save his own family."

Ukitake came up by Byakuya and folded his arms. "Don't make threats that you can't deliver on, boy. Empty threats are just a sign of cowardice."

Nnoitra laughed haughtily. "Old man, you and the drunk will be the first to die tonight."

All at once the men moved out of the darkness, revealing themselves to be a team of skilled mercenaries dressed in black, and wearing a half broken silver skull mask to disguise their faces.

Byakuya smirked inwardly. These men were unworthy to battle him, far outmatched by the superior skills which he possessed. A man came up on his right, raising a broadsword down towards his shoulder. In one swift motion - so fast that the man never had time to blink, the attacker dropped to his knees. Blood spurted out from the diagonal slash across his chest whilst byakuya flicked off the blood droplets in the same swift motion. A second assailant moved in low to perform a sweeper kick and knock him down, and screamed out as he lost his right leg. Another man snuck up behind him and uttered a war cry as he aimed for the nobleman's unprotected back; his cry was spoilt by the gurgle of blood as Byakuya stabbed his sword through the gap of his protective gear, right through his lung.

Byakuya barely flinched as he took down the lives of these men who called themselves assassins. He'd already seen enough spilt blood to last him a lifetime. One by one these men fell by his sword and those of his comrades around him, obliterating their lifesparks from this world. He was beyond feeling as he took down a second man, this time slashing the man's throat and issuing a fountain of blood. How dare these men seek to destroy those that he cherished the most. He crippled another assailant and snapped his arm out of it's socket, and ended his screams by digging his sword through his-

_CRASH!_

Byakuya's head snapped back to the entry of the house, and watched as masked men ran through the shattered windows and splintered wooden door into his home. More noises of crashes and war cry's erupted from the house.

Byakuya hurried back to his house, ending the lives of those who attempted to stop him in his path back to the house. He took down another opponent, his blood adding to the mess on the carpet. He scanned around the corner, and barely dodged the blade of a katana that was aiming for his head. He looked back and connected his blade with his assailant, discovering that it was no other than his wife, her eyes widened in a blood-crazed frenzy.

"Byakuya!" she gasped, lowering her weapon. "Sweetie don't scare me like that," she hissed, kicking an immobile body out of her way. Her sleeping yukata was ripped and splattered with red, with a rip along her right shoulder. His eyes zeroed in as he saw the cut along it.

"Who did-"

"Let's save the machoness for later my dear," she interrupted, wheeling around the corner. Rukia had appeared with three backpacks and her katana strapped across her back, an expression of intense fear on her face. Blood was smeared across her white cheeks and the nobleman saw that a silver mark had appeared on the inside of her wrist.

Hisana looked meaningfully at Rukia. "We'll explain later Ru-ru. Right now we need to leave."

She looked back at her husband and kissed him tenderly on the lips. Byakuya enjoyed the warmth of her soft lips, and cupped her cheek in his hand. "If you're not at the Shiba's within ten minutes of our arrival, i will come back and drag you home."

Byakuya allowed the corners of his mouth to lift at her words. He looked down at Rukia and grasped her by the shoulder. "You follow your sister." he commanded. "You stay by her until you get to the Shiba's no matter what happens."

Rukia nodded with tearful eyes. "Hai, ni-sama."

No sooner did his wife and sister-in-law leave the room when Nnoitra appeared, flanked by three of his minions. He raised the scythe off his shoulder and lowered the point till it was facing Byakuya's direction - a sign of one's challenge to his opponent. Byakuya recognised said gesture and merely shook his head. This man underestimated his opponent.

"I'm going to take great pleasure in watching you die by my hand," the mercenary said spitefully.

Byakuya scoffed and balanced his sword until it was angled out towards the man. Then, with as much venom as he could possibly muster, he spoke uttered his reply.

"We shall see, dog."

The elder sister was no stranger to running, having spent her whole childhood running away from enemies that had been after her bloodline long before she was born. Therefore she knew it was better to be in top shape and to know your exit routes, rather than wait for the enemy to pounce upon you.

The Kuchiki girls ran down the track, rising and falling with the terrain of the land. The waning moon provided just enough light for them to avoid collision with any of the lumbering branches that hung overhead. No matter how much they stumbled, they stayed strong and carried on towards their destination. Surprisingly Hisana managed to keep a level-head about what had transpired this evening, refusing to lose faith in both her husband and her nakama's abilities. The trees gave way to the orchard and Hisana traded rough dirt track for soft grassy terrain.

She came up to a familiar landmark, a set of twin trees entwined about a metre off the ground, where the branches above were crowned with cherry blossoms and peaches. She gestured Rukia to stand back for a moment as she walked up to the trunks. She traced out three triangles with a crescent crowning the trio into the bark of the tree, watching with never-ending fascination as the shapes she made pulsed with a pale blue light. The gap between the trunks shimmered like water, accompanied by muffled noises on the other side.

"Hisana? Wh-what is that?" Rukia stuttered behind her.

Hisana took a step back to appraise her work, motioning for Rukia to come towards her. "It's a portal. We'll be safe on the other side." She'd taken one step towards it, feeling a thrill rush through her as she began to pass through.

"Move quickly Rukia, before someone else follows."

'Wait, Hisana-"

She was almost through, her eyes closed as she waited for the new scenery to open up before her. Her heart swelled with thought of returning to her home realm, back to where it all began-

_Thwick!_

"_HISANA!"_


End file.
